Air-moistener



(No Model.) I

W; H. ARMSTRONG. AIR MQISTENER.

No.545,440. Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

UNITED STATES QFFICE.

PATENT AIR-MOISTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,440, datedSeptember 3, 1 895.

Application filed December 13, 1894. Serial No. 531.686. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, WILLIAM HAMMOND ARMSTRONG, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Hagerstown, in the county of Washingtonand State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Air-Moisteners, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

I hereby declare the following specification tobe a full, clear, andexact description of my invention, which will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

The object of my invention .is to prevent the desiccating and injuriousaction of high temperature in buildings artificially heated. With therise of the temperature the capacity of air for holding moisture isgreatly increased. Unless adequate provision be made to supply thisdeficiency, the woodwork of the room is not only cracked and damaged,but the moist secretions of the respiratory mucous surfaces are quicklyevaporated, often producing sore throat and other kinds of inflammatorydiseases.

Heretofore evaporatingpans, with other complex expensive apparatusattached to hotair furnaces, have been used for the purpose of supplyingand maintaining the necessary moisture in artificially-heated rooms andbuildings.

My invention is not attached in any manner to the heating apparatus.

It consists, among other things,of certain combinations, hereinaftermore fully described and set forth, by means of which the requiredmoisture can be maintained. I use a wire cage or frame having parallelsides and ends, corners constructed at right angles 1 and properlybraced, adapted to hold suspended side by side from its upper parallelside bars sheets of blotting-paper or other suitable porous material,with their lower edges standing in and slightly resting upon the bottomof a suitable pan or water-receptacle, the water being raised to thebroad surface of said sheets by capillary attraction. Said cage or framecan be removed from the water-receptacle, together with all the sheets,or any sheet can be removed separately and replaced without in any wayinterfering with of sheets of porous material.

any other sheet. Thus the object of my invention'is attained by means ofmechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figure 1shows a side elevation of pan or water-receptacle with side cut away anda side elevation of wire cage OI'IIZHDG and edges Fig. 2 shows asectional end elevation of water-receptacle,

an end elevation of wire cage or frame,'and

a side elevation of sheets of porous material. Fig. 3 shows aplan viewof a section of the upper part of the wires 7 and 9, adapted to holdingsheets of porous material.

In the drawings, 3 is an edge View of sheets of porous material. 5 showsend braces of wire cage or frame. 8 shows bent projections on thesuspendingwire 7. 10 shows loops at the end of the suspending-wire 7. 12shows loops near the end of the suspending-wire 7. 13 shows loops orupward projections from the upper bar of theparallel sides of the cageor frame.

I do not confine myself strictly to a wire cage or frame structure, orthat it must be constructedof Wire at all. It may be constructed of anysuitable material. For instance, it may be constructed of a single sheetof metal, with corners bent at right'angles, the parallel sides and endsbeing perforated, or it may be constructed of four pieces of metal, withposts,'having the parallel sides and ends of the frame perforated infancy design; but I prefer the use of wire.

My device is inexpensive, neat, compact, and can be placed anywhere inan apartment, no active current of heated air being necessary to produceevaporation. The water passing the porous material is filtered, thusalfording purified vapors to the air. If desired, the atmosphere can besuffused with fragrant or'medicated vapors by introducing the requisitematerials into the water-receptacle. The upper parallel side bars ofsaid cage or frame may beconstructed in a series of small loops bentupward a short distance asunder and exactly opposite to each other,being marked 13 in the drawings, and adapted to receive the loops 12 atthe end of the wire 7.

To place the sheets in position, a sheet of porous material-as, forinstance, blotting-paper-=-is cut to the proper size, the edge slippedICC between the wires 7and 9, as shown in Fig. 3, the bent projections 8of said wire 7 passed through the edge of the sheet, and the ends of thewire 9 being bent at right angles, are passed down through the loops 10by the side of the ends of said sheet till near the bottom, the ends ofsaid wire'9 being again bent at right angles inwardly toward the middleto pass along the side of said sheet,being finally threaded through thesheet 11, as shown in Fig. 2, the loops 12 of the wire 7 being adaptedto pass over the projections 13 on the wire cage or frame, by which thewire 7 is suspended, thus suspending and holding the sheet perpendicularin place with its lower edge reaching to the bottom of thewater-receptacle.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters the water receptacle or pan 1, the wire cage or frame2 and the sheets of porous material 3 as and for the purposesubstantially as set forth and described.

2. In an air moistener, the combination of the water receptacle, thewire cage or frame, the wires 7 and 9, and the sheets of porous materialsubstantially as described and set forth.

3. In an air moistener, the combination of the water receptacle, 1, thewire cage or frame 2, the wire 7 with its bent projections 8 and loops10 and 12, the wire 9, and the sheets of porous material 3, as and forthe purposes substantially as described and set forth. In testimonywhereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM HAMMOND ARMSTRONG. WVitnesses:

W. 1-1. HOWAR ALLEN YINGLING.

